US president orders aid agencies to sever ties with groups that provided funds to rebel groups or opposed anti-government activities.
The White House announced that President Donald Trump has begun the process of redesignating Yemen’s Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
President Trump’s executive order signed Wednesday directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to submit a report on the designation within 30 days after consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of the Treasury.
Rubio will then have 15 days to “take all appropriate steps” regarding the designation of the rebel group, also known as Ansar Allah.
President Trump’s order to review the Houthis’ status was essentially a formality, with a subsequent White House statement directing Rubio, who advocated for re-designation while a senator, to recommend their inclusion on the list. It was confirmed that it had been done.
In the final days of his first term, President Trump designated Yemeni groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” and “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” (SDGTs).
The administration of former US President Joe Biden rescinded Trump’s designation weeks after taking office, citing former Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s “recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
The Biden administration reimposed the SDGT designation (the narrower of the two classifications) in January last year in response to repeated attacks by rebel groups on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The White House said in a statement that as a result of Mr. Biden’s “weak policy,” the Houthis have fired dozens of shots at U.S. Navy warships, targeted commercial ships more than 100 times and attacked civilian infrastructure in other countries.
“Under President Trump, the U.S. is now working with regional partners to eliminate Houthi capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby stop attacks on U.S. military and civilian populations, U.S. partners, and the oceans. “Red Sea shipping has become a policy,” the White House said.
President Trump’s order would require the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to block groups that have made payments to the Houthis and efforts to “turn a blind eye” to them if they are re-registered. It also instructs the government to “end its relationship” with the organization that has committed the act. “Terrorism and Abuse.”
President Trump’s order came just hours after the Houthis announced they had released the crew of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, which was seized by an Iran-aligned group shortly after the start of Israel’s war in Gaza. Ta.
The organization’s Supreme Political Council announced it had approved the release of 25 crew members as part of efforts to support a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that began on Sunday.